福蓋正行所集經

At that time the Elder, having again employed verses to praise the Buddha, then uttered words of sincerity and a vast vow, saying: If I have been able to cultivate even a little wholesome root of merit and virtue, then I vow that in a future age I may accomplish the Buddha Way. And further, just like the World-Honored One, may I fully accomplish the thirty-two marks of excellence together with the eighty fine features, unobstructed and possessing the unsurpassed medicine of the Dharma, able to dispel the maladies of greed, hatred, and delusion in sentient beings.

For those who have no kin or acquaintance I shall become their lord. For places of darkness I shall bring light. For those not yet tamed I shall make them tamed.

For those who do not yet clearly believe I shall cause faith to arise in them. For those not yet at peace I shall make them at peace. For those who have not yet attained Nirvana I shall make them attain Nirvana.

Ultimately they shall depart from birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and affliction. Or I shall cause them to be born up in the heavenly realms, receiving abundant supreme and sublime joys. Furthermore I shall be able to exhort people to cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path, revealing and unfolding the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths.

When those people have heard it, their minds will attain awakening, and they will praise the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for their many kinds of merit and virtue, immeasurable wisdom, self-nature pure and clear, awesome spiritual power vast and great, which none can surpass. Thus I shall be able to make them depart from the suffering of the cycle of birth and death. By skillful means I shall guide and lead them into the city of liberation, gradually causing them to cultivate the various Dharmas of merit and virtue, to guard and uphold the pure precepts, to cultivate Śamatha and Vipaśyanā; the Four Fearlessnesses, the Four Bases of Spiritual Power, the Four Right Efforts, and so forth, in order to remedy indolence.

With regard to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, to remember them clearly and not forget. The Four Immeasurable Minds, to cultivate them equally. To rely upon the Five Faculties and the Five Powers; to sever the obstructions of the Five Destinies.

To clearly perceive the marks of the Five Aggregates; that oneself and others are alike. To fully and completely possess the Six Pāramitās. To use the Seven Noble Treasures to universally bestow upon all.

To cultivate the pure precepts completely. To tread upon the seven flowers of enlightenment; with single-minded resolve to abide peacefully in the seven contemplations of skillful means. To distinguish and expound the branches of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Wholesomely and diligently to cultivate the Nine Successive Attainments of Concentration. To fully possess the Ten Powers. To be called the Ten Directions, to attain the Ten Sovereignties, even unto the accomplishment of Buddhahood.

At that time the World-Honored One, seeing that this Elder amid the great assembly had made such a vow, then praised him, saying: Excellent! Now you are truly a great dragon among humankind; a lion among humankind. The most exalted among the Great Sages, free from defilements like the white lotus flower; able to convey all sentient beings, able to bear them up to unsurpassed Bodhi. At that moment the Buddha used the golden radiant light from his hand, like a blossoming lotus flower; the fingers bearing many truly beautiful lines, like a father comforting his son, and placed it upon the head of the Elder, and using the Brahma-voice like the thunder and lightning of spring, spoke these words:

You in a future age shall become a Buddha named Able to Fulfill the Aspirations of Sentient Beings, Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. Fully possessing the Ten Powers, destroying the hosts of Māra, causing this land to become pure, vast, rich, and joyful. At that moment in the open sky there were heavenly maidens raining down beautiful flowers to make offerings to the Buddhas throughout the worlds together with all sentient beings. All of them gave rise to faith, joyfully cultivating and making merit. At that moment the World-Honored One then spoke a verse, saying:

You in a future age

Will accumulate wholesome merit and virtue

In that ocean of birth and death

Rescuing the suffering multitudes who are drowning

After passing through countless kalpas

You will accomplish the Buddha Way

The eye of wisdom pure and free from defilement

Manifestly realizing all dharmas

The marks of excellence emanating radiant light

Like the sun of the world

Causing all sentient beings

To dispel the darkness of the three poisons

Gods, humans, and the great assembly

Supreme, with none above

Wholesomely taming sentient beings

Causing all to cultivate the holy life

A good Teacher who guides the way

Fully possessing all wisdom

Attaining supreme Bodhi

Like the lotus flower rising above the water.

At that time the World-Honored One, together with that Elder amid the great assembly, having received the Buddha's prediction, then all the people in the realm of King Bimbisāra gave rise to faithful minds, rejoicing as never before. By reason of the Buddha they single-mindedly cultivated the practice of giving. Then among the realms of gods and humans they became sovereign lords. They possessed great might and power. They constantly used the mind of great compassion to bring benefit and ease to all sentient beings. Unsurpassed Bodhi they will surely attain. Therefore the Buddha taught, saying: All you Bhikṣus, with regard to this sutra, should always receive and uphold it, and for their sake proclaim it.

Having now understood clearly the practice of giving; do not be anxious or fearful, nor cease and rest, for the merit and virtue of upholding the precepts shall now be explained clearly. After giving, what comes next? It is precisely the upholding of precepts. Here, relying upon the various sutras, it shall be explained in sequence.

Furthermore, those sentient beings who are often heedless and indulge in pleasures, mostly because of their inner mind's mistaken reflection, then follow along with it and engage in actions even unto carrying them out. Whether through bodily form or through speech, they destroy the prohibitive precepts. Here, wishing to give rise to the antidote for sentient beings; therefore, after giving, the marks of upholding the precepts are explained.

If one is a disciple of the Buddha, even among the white-robed laity, who firmly upholds the prohibitive precepts and does not transgress them, this is called the pure upholding of precepts. If any sentient beings give rise to perverse and deviant reflections, and through the karma of body, speech, and mind create many sins, such as slaying sentient beings; killing the lives of people. Taking what is not given among the possessions of others.

Clinging to the defilement of desire, the mind not letting go. Speaking untrue words, flattering speech, harsh speech, double-tongued speech; giving rise to great wrong views, abolishing cause and effect, killing one's father, harming one's mother, killing an Arhat. Using a malicious mind to draw blood from the body of the Buddha, splitting the harmonious Sangha, destroying stupas and harming monasteries, stealing the property of the Sangha, defiling the pure conduct of the community of nuns.

Toward good people they delight in giving rise to humiliation; they constantly delight in gathering together, speaking meaningless talk, slighting the Dharma and mocking the words of instruction, coveting the wealth of the world. For the sake of perverse affairs they may lose their lives, creating various evil karmas, becoming the chief among prison wardens; slaughtering pigs and butchering fish, digging through walls and boring through partitions, even unto coveting from others their small possessions, and further committing acts of plunder.

Together with that, they use poison to harm and injure sentient beings. Elephants, horses, oxen, and so forth, they delight in making them slash one another, destroying villages and hamlets, felling and cutting down trees; uttering coarse words; slandering the worthy, deceitfully appearing like good people; yet their minds are truly false. They call the good not good.

What is praiseworthy they do not praise. Having created such sins, when their lives come to an end all the marks of suffering appear before their eyes. When consciousness shifts and manifests, evil karma pursues them, and they fall down into the hells, receiving extreme tortures and suffering.

The hells are of four kinds. The first is called the hell of burning flames; the second is called urine and excrement; the third is called the forest of swords; the fourth is called the river of coals. These are the four hells.

They are named the neighboring ones. Furthermore there are eight other fundamental hells, also of scorching heat. The first is named Burning; the second is Fiercely Burning; the third is the Crushing Together of all things; the fourth is Wailing; the fifth is Great Wailing; the sixth is the Pit of Fire; the seventh is the Great Roasting Fire; the eighth is Without Interval.

While within those hells there are prison wardens, of hideous form, foul-smelling, cruel and vicious, terrifying and merciless. Some have the heads of oxen; others take the form of elephant heads; their forms are truly large, stout and powerful; their flesh and skin dark and swarthy, their hair colored red, yellow, their faces full of wrath. Their nostrils reaching to their lips, their two hands hard and firm, all grasping blades and clubs; or grasping sharp axes used for stabbing and hacking.

Rings of swords whirl about, with every kind of implement for inflicting torment. All of them are made red-hot. Then those ferocious prison wardens approach the sinners, without minds of compassion; either burning or roasting them; either smashing or stabbing them, doing whatever causes them to die; then they come back to life, and are again confined within the hell of searing heat.

Within that hell of urine and filthy excrement their two legs are burned. If they should awaken, they are cast into the forest of knives and swords. When they run back and forth and come beneath the branches of the trees, the blades from on high descend, immediately slicing their bodies, and then birds and beasts, tigers, leopards, lions, makara fish, and so forth, open their mouths very wide and spew forth fire; their teeth sharp and pointed, ceaselessly menacing them.

For those sentient beings who have created evil there are trees of tin, named Sa-khấp-mạt-lê, upon which are hundreds of thousands of sharp blades; each and every one made of pointed tin, sixteen finger-joints in length. At that time those prison wardens drag the sinners up, according to their height; then hang them upside down. The malicious birds vie with one another to perch upon them, and then using their truly sharp talons; either tear or peck at them.

The prison wardens take hot iron balls and put them into the mouths of the sinners. Having oppressed them thus, they further make molten copper boil up and pour it into their mouths. From the throat downward all is set ablaze.

Or they take iron nails and drive them into the tongue. Furthermore there are iron plowshares, with which they cause oxen to plow upon them. Or they cast the sinners into a hot iron furnace and take a pole to pierce the sinners.

Or within that burning furnace they cause this body, as well as the ears, nose, and mouth; from every place blood gushes forth. This entire body is destroyed until nothing remains. There is a great fire pit, truly deep, with fire blazing; they cast those sinners into it.

Burning them for a long while, they become wholly fire. At that time those prison wardens curse and rail, saying: In days past you created untold amounts of evil karma, your minds not doing wholesome deeds, breaking and transgressing the prohibitive precepts; therefore now you receive this karmic retribution. From this you should know for yourselves that here it is extremely bitter and painful, hard to endure and hard to bear.

Having received their punishment for a span of time, only when the karma is exhausted do they emerge. Therefore the Buddha taught:

You Bhikṣus! You should always, with regard to this sutra, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, and for the sake of others expound it, causing them to practice giving and the precepts, so as to accomplish the canopy of merit.

The Buddha said that the breaking of precepts is due to evil reflection, formed by the inner mind's reflection; without giving rise to amendment; troubled and oppressed; thus creating the various sins; just like dry firewood put into a furnace and set alight, which will surely be consumed by burning; just like a spoiled seed sown into a field. In the end it cannot sprout. The one who breaks the precepts, with regard to the field of the Dharma, cannot give rise to wholesome sprouts.

And again it is just like this: in that forest of trees, when one goes to cut down all the roots, branches, and leaves, then there remains no shade for shelter. The one who breaks the precepts severs the wholesome roots; he destroys the Dharmas of merit and virtue. And it is likewise.

It is like a withered tree beside the mouth of a well, lacking water, wishing to obtain water yet not obtaining it. As for that one who breaks the precepts, all the good people who come seeking the Dharma obtain nothing at all. Like a Caṇḍāla who cannot become king.

All the common people no longer believe in him. As for that one who breaks the precepts, he cannot expound the Dharma. None of the sentient beings can hear it and uphold it.

It is like a person who, with regard to a spoiled and rotten thing, hopes to seek a fine and delicious flavor, but in the end obtains nothing. With regard to transgression and violation, the one who breaks the precepts seeking merit and virtue in the end obtains none. Furthermore, the white-robed layman, seeing that Śramaṇa solitary yet untired, tranquil and at ease, renounces this household and joyfully practices the conduct of the Śramaṇa.

But that other one has no true and proper cause, his mind not resolved; foolish, dull, and obtuse. Having become a Śramaṇa, he then delights in worldly enterprises and undertakings, clinging to the defilements of desire, destroying the prohibitive precepts; and so among that assembly there are those of venerable virtue who curse and rebuke that one. For this reason a verse is spoken, saying:

One who relies upon the three jewels of the Buddha

Yet delights in creating what is contrary to the Dharma

Defiling the various pure practices

Is no different from a Caṇḍāla

Within the mind reflecting upon perverse things

The realms of the five desires

Just like a young calf

Constantly remembering the grass and water

Delighting in worldly affairs

Buying and selling precious goods

Raising and lowering according to the price

Speaking words that are not sincere

That one is like an empty vessel

This mind is constantly never satisfied

For the sake of seeking a little wealth and profit

He creates all manner of falsehood and deceit

Just like the flower and the bee

Constantly dwelling in the forest of lotus flowers

Going in and out of dense thickets

So as to receive sufferings

The Dharma of my Buddha is vast and deep

In the end it does not admit urine

In that field of merit and blessings

Again no sprouting seed will grow

When the affliction of the pox binds and fetters

It cannot be treated or cured

The person who creates evil karma

Why does he not give rise to fear and worry

Just like a boat that is leaking

How can oneself and others cross over.

The Buddha said: The one who breaks the precepts has no shame because of much greed and desire, his mind craving and wanting much. He violates the beauty of others, constantly fearful, losing his good repute, departing far from good friends. One should understand that this is like that miserly one, who in the end has not the slightest bit of merit or virtue.

That one who breaks the precepts is also like one greedy yet without hands. Although he comes to a mountain of treasures; yet he gathers up no wealth at all. Like a filthy vessel, full of leaks and seepage.

That one who transgresses causes those who see him to draw far away. Like a serpent in the room, of which people are constantly afraid. Like a beautiful garden that yet has tigers and leopards within.

Like a perilous and treacherous road, upon which people do not wish to come and go. Like that broken cart, which cannot be made to move. Like that evil person, whom everyone shuns.

Like that venomous snake, upon which the eyes do not wish to gaze. Like the Hộ-đà forest of which many people are afraid. Like that drunken elephant, governed by an evil person.

Like a thief, of whom the wealthy are wary. Just like the Campaka flower by day, which has no fragrance. And again it is likewise: within the forest of sandalwood there is a Tỉ-na tree, of foul smell and ugly mark, which must quickly be cut down.

Even supposing within the mouth there were a hundred thousand tongues, one could not fully tell the faults of breaking the precepts. Wishing to know their number, one could not fully tell it.

Because of such breaking of precepts, one cannot increase all wholesome dharmas with regard to all sentient beings. As it is said in the sutra: There was a man who said to his wife: You should mount the cart and go into the forest to gather firewood. By reason of gathering firewood; he therefore lost the ox; and on account of going to seek the ox, he caused someone to have to seek and guard the cart.

The ox was not yet found, yet the cart too was lost. This man, seeking everywhere, came upon a pond, saw a flock of birds, and at once took up the axe and hurled it from afar. The birds were not yet caught, yet the axe had already sunk in the pond.

He took off his clothes and laid them on the bank, and dove into the pond to seek the axe. The axe could not be found, his clothes were hidden by someone, and naked he returned home. At that time the sky was dark, and when he reached the head of the lane, in the gloom he could not be clearly seen, and so the people of the house, supposing that a thief had come, took up clubs and chased him, wounding one of his eyes; the eye bled and dripped down upon the ground.

At that moment an evil and ugly worm fell from above and, smelling the scent of the blood; therefore further ate one eye. He turned toward another place and, abandoning his house, departed. To understand this matter clearly is truly most astonishing.

As for the matter above, then for the sake of this wife a verse is spoken, saying:

Losing his clothes together with the ruin of his eyes

What sort of human body is this

Truly not understanding this matter

On account of this he flees and abandons all

And again, like a disciple of the Buddha

Who would rather forsake hearing much

Because the precepts must be guarded and upheld

Breaking the precepts is like being without eyes

Thus one should understand that the one who breaks the precepts

Falsely takes the name of a Śramaṇa

He should not receive offerings

He loses the wholesome merit and virtue.

Herein it is further said: Just like an Elder who has many children, who constantly teaches and instructs them and causes his children not to be heedless. This indeed is the storehouse fully stocked with precious treasures, with servants and attendants; necessarily subordinate to him. Thus he attains lasting peace and security.

Among those children there was one who was extravagant and delighted in indulging in female beauty. The Elder, having heard of it, then gathered together the kinsmen and together rebuked him, and taking a little wealth gave it to him as he was sent out from the house, and then said: Do not be heedless! Do not squander your wealth, lest hereafter you suffer.

But that one forgot. Then that son, not knowing whence, and before very long, had no wealth remaining, his appearance haggard and worn, and then went begging for food and stealing and robbing from those he knew. At that time the father Elder, seeing this, was grieved and sorrowful, and his mind then let go.

Before the multitude of people he said in a loud voice: This is not my son. This is not my son. Speaking thus for that one to hear, who was sorrowful, anxious, and ashamed.

The Buddha said: I too am likewise. If any of my disciples destroy the prohibitive precepts, having neither shame nor conscience, then they should depart from the place of the Buddha-Dharma. Furthermore they may not partake in the share of enlightenment. As for the Dharmas of merit and virtue, the various kinds of noble treasure, and even gods, humans, Śramaṇas, Brāhmaṇas, and so forth, amid the great assembly I say in a loud voice: This is one who breaks the precepts, not a disciple of mine. Having spoken thus for that one to hear, he is ashamed of the sin he has wrongly committed.

Furthermore, the white-robed laity, when they have left the household life, should rely upon the Śramaṇa, dwelling in purity, wearing the kāṣāya robe, the hand bearing the alms-bowl. Holding the lamp of vigorous effort, cultivating and hearing much; not relying upon the worldly to create works of perverse livelihood. To mount elephant and horse carriages, the body clad in thick armor, drawing the bow to shoot.

To enter into the ranks of armies, such a comparison is drawn. As for one who, within my Dharma, destroys the rules of conduct and discipline, upon whom the eyes do not wish to gaze, he is like lighting a lamp in the daytime in the world. Even supposing they were many, they could not dispel the darkness.

That foolish one cannot give rise to the unconditioned noble wisdom, to serve as a shining lamp for the world. And again it is likewise: like an actor who wears fine robes and a fine cap and before everyone calls himself a king; but this only brings amusement to others and is not real. As for that one who breaks the precepts, although he wears the kāṣāya robe and has the marks of a Śramaṇa; yet he cannot purely bring joys into the world.

And again, like a greedy person who falsely claims to be wealthy. Before everyone he speaks in a loud voice, calling himself an Elder; but in truth that one is in no way self-mastered according to his own wish. As for that one who breaks the precepts, who falsely takes the name of a Śramaṇa, he cannot attain the subtle and wondrous fruit of liberation.

The Sutra of the Collected Practices of the Canopy of Merit

End of Scroll Ten